The 6 Must-Have Sales Skills of The Modern Salesperson

The 6 Must-Have Sales Skills of The Modern Salesperson

Imagine an assertive salesperson and these images come to your mind ‒ pushy, can bend even an absolute truth, talkative, and has only one goal in mind and that is for you to blindly buy anything they sell no matter whether you need or want it or not.

Though the description is a bit overused and could be incorrect for a successful salesperson, we could have met at least one of those salespersons in our entire lives. And yes, the salespersons of yesteryears have used the irritating one-dimensional method of selling anything and everything under the sun.

Luckily, the world is changing and so are the methods of selling. Forcing buyers against their will is not cool anymore. Information nowadays is easily more accessible and buyers demand more than ever. They analyze information by themselves, they are now more digitally connected to one another and most especially, they know what their true needs, wants and possible choices.

The modern information technology now asks for more effective sales skills and a new breed of sales personality has emerged, someone who is not just an expert in selling. Anyone can draw on their complex knowledge in solving a potential customer’s problem or issue. Here are some of the effective techniques and sales skills that are necessary to be an effective modern salesperson.

The 6 Must-Have Sales Skills

Expertise

An effective salesperson should know what he is talking about. Unfortunately, buyers nowadays are more knowledgeable than the salespersons. True sales pitch begins later in the data gathering process. The consumers nowadays need a more knowledgeable consultant-seller than a pushy peddler who overwhelms them with too much information.

Curiosity

You must know your market and your consumers as you know your own wares. If you have a true interest in developing your curiosity, you will be truly good at selling. Modern salesperson demands to spend more time researching prospective markets and knowing more about them than the past salespersons. This can help every interaction you may have with a prospective buyer from the first contact, developing your sales pitch and in closing the deals. The good news is the salespersons now have the modern tools they need to do this. Portals such as LinkedIn now allows salespersons to collect insights and information on their prospects which they never had access to in the past.

Emotional Intelligence

The “age of social” now also refers to social skills and not just to social networks. While the past salesperson was more of a talker, the modern salesperson is a listener who is sensitive enough to his prospects’ wants and needs. An effective salesperson spends time researching prospect customers on social networks – to know more regarding their professional roles, issues, and personal interests as well. Whether it is on LinkedIn or even on Facebook, it helps to know your customers as individual and establish a relevant relationship. While an assertive salesperson so-called attentiveness is skin-deep, a successful salesperson’s interest is true. Customers acknowledge the genuine effort.

Confidence

Salespeople should always be confident at all times but there is a huge contrast between confidence that is ego-powered and confidence backed by thorough research and hard facts. Informed customers of today do not want to be deceived – if they recognize an empty talk, they will show resistance. Appropriateness with hard facts will warrant their respect.

Teamwork

Talking to other salespersons is an effective way to learn what drives the customers and other wares of the trade. While past salespersons had their own sales pitch, the modern successful salespersons are team players; they share their best practices and offer advice to one another. They know that sharing their own best practices would get them something useful in exchange.

A Knack for Narrative

One of the most effective tools in connecting with people is storytelling. Skilled salespeople are a great source of real-life stories which utilize cases and issues. No two sales pitch are the same. A great salesperson does not just sell but connects with customers, empathizing with and assisting them to resolve an issue.

Effective salespeople have always known and practiced these effective sales skills. But due to information overload of the modern world that make these selling skills needed and revived today.